Philadelphia took control of possession early by putting immediate
pressure on the new Dynamo defense. The Union got on the board when
Califf drove home the rebound of a Sebastien Le Toux shot. Le Toux found some space in the box off a long Union throw-in from Sheanon Williams and put
a rocket off the crossbar. Califf won the scrum for the loose ball and
gave the visiting team the early one-goal lead.

The Dynamo settled down after the goal, controlling the play for the
balance of the match. On the road and up a goal, the Union were content
to concede possession, often dropping nine or 10 players behind the ball. In an effort to push numbers forward, Dynamo head coach Dominic
Kinnear went to a five-man midfield over the final 19 minutes. Countering
Houston’s move, the Union attempted to catch the Dynamo on the counter
in the second half but were never able to secure an insurance goal.

In the end, it wasn’t needed.

The best chance of the night for Dynamo came before the formation change when Brad Davis played a ball across a charging Faryd Mondragon that a streaking Dominic Oduro could not keep on target. Despite retaining the advantage in possession and the number of
corners and free kicks, the Dynamo were not able to find the equalizer.